Amanda Martinez, Mañana

Oh, the places you'll see--or rather the music you'll hear--when you open yourself to the world. Latin music, for example, continues to flourish. How could it not? It has deep roots and lives, thrives and comes at you if you open up.

Like for example here is this beautiful singer-songwriter, Amanda Martinez, and her band doing something very magnetizing on their album Manana (Factor) (And of course now I cannot get the accent to come up here so I look like gringo mas grande. Sorry.) Manana-Manana-Manana, damn! Anyway she sings like an angel and I believe these are HER songs. The band has prominent Spanish guitar and tres playing yet the rhythm has both traditional and modern funkish overtones. There are some beautiful guitar spots.

And her singing makes me feel like it's spring. (At the moment, it seems to be that anyway!) This all is going down in Canada, at least the album was recorded there. But it's for us all, everywhere.

One fine album, this is! I am moved, impressed, and wish my accent buttons would work!